"In the words of Francis of Assisi as he met Brother Dominic on the road to Umbria, hi." –Brennan Manning

Quick Hit: “Human Doings” or “Human Beings”?

One of the most profound problems of American society in general, and of American evangelical Protestant-dom in particular, is that we are all so driven by activity and busyness that we let it define us, to the extent that we are identified by what we do rather than by who we are. In that regard, we can be said to be “human doings” instead of “human beings”, and this is not a good thing.

Another side of the coin is that some people are so passive that they just sit around and do nothing, live nothing, and experience nothing in life. They just let it all pass by while living vicariously in the experiences of others who are more actively engaged in the world, in community with other people, in doing the things that make up a life well-lived. These people can be said to be “human beings” instead of “human doings”, and this is not a good thing either.